Carbon-removing mechanism for stills



April 12 1927 J. M. wADswoR'rH CARBON REMOVING' B'ECHNISM FOR STILLS Filed Dee. 27. 1921 srrsneets-she'et 1 J. M. WADSWORTH CARBON REMOVING MECHANISM FOR STILLS April 12, 1927. I 1,624,083V

Filed Deo. 27. 1921 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 APH] 12 1927 J. M. wADswoRTH CARBON REMOVING' MECHANISM FOR STILLAS Filed Dea.` 2v. 1921 s sheets-sheet f IN1/EN roe gjm@ z M/wf/A.

4T foe/VE Ys LBY `Patented Apr. 12., 1927'.

JAMES mywanswoarn, or roar won'r'n, Texas.

CARBON-REMOYING MECHANISM FOR STIJLS.

Application @led-December 27,1921. lSerial No. 525,171. i

This invention relates to stills of the type that are used for cracking heavy petroleum hydrocarbons into lighter hydrocarbons such as gasoline.

In distilling heavy petroleum distillates by the so-called cracking process it is customary to subject-the distillate to a temperature ot' approximately 800 Ffnnder a pressure of about 100 lbs. per square inch in an externally heated metal still so as to cause the heavy distillates to be cracked into lighter distillates which pass off as vaporthat is subsequently condensed into gasoline. The. residue of this operation l1s a heavy uel oil with a small percentage of free carbon, and if it is permitted to collect on the bottom of the still, the carbon forms into a cake oi' insulation between the liquid being distilled and the bottom of the still that soon causes the steel bottom of the still to burn out,-often with very disastrous results. Various kinds "ofdevices have been devised for scraping oi and, removing the vcarbon from the bottom of a pressure still.

when the still is in operation, thus overcoming the necessity o shutting down the still at intervals and` removing the carbon deposit from the lbottom of the still` but said prior `carbon scraping devices have not proven entirelysatisfactory, due, usually to the fact that they were so constructed and mounted in the still that unequal expansion"- and contraction between the still body and.

the scraping mechanism consisting of the scraping devices and the actuating means for said devices, causes or tends to cause the 'scraping mechanism as an entirety to become inoperative.

The main object of my invention is to provide a still that is equipped with a practicable andhighly eiiicient means for removing carbon from the bottom of the still when the still is in operation.

Another object is to provide a still that is equipped with a carbon scraping and removing apparatus of such constructiony that it will not be aiected or rendered inopera tive by unequal expansion and contraction between the still body and the parts which constitute said a paratus. i

Y And still anot er object is to provide an `oil still that is equipped with a carbon sera ing and removing mechanism arranged insi e, of the still and constructed in the form of a unit that is not affected by longitudinal expansion and contraction. ofthe 4steel shell of the still and whose carbon -scraping devices always remain in .operative relationship with endless tracks over which they travel.

To this end I have devised a still that consists of a closed chamber, a movable means exterior` of the chamber for craping off carbon orother residue from t e bottom of the chamber and conveying it to a point of discharge and a supporting structure for said means combined with the still in such a manner that said carbon scraping and re,- mo ving means as an entirety., will not be inside of said chamber operatd from the affected or rendered inoperative by unequalA expansion and 'contraction between same and the steel shell of the distilling chamber. Preferably, the carbon scraping and removing means consists of one or more scraping devices, and V-an actuating means for said devices consisting of endless chains or other flexlble or]o1nted elements that pass over rotatable driving devices arranged adjacent'- one end of the still and over idlers arranged -adjacentthe opposite end of the still. The .supporting structure previously referredA to 'is arranged inside of the still in such a manner that the steel shell of the still canexpand and contract without exerting any strains" or having any effect whatsoever on the iex- ,ible elements thatoperate the scraping devices orI on the idlers over which said Hexible elements travel. The particular design -of said supportingstructure is immaterial,

but it is preferably provided with parts that act as guides or tracks on whichA the scraping devices travel.

Fi u're 1 of the drawings is a horizontal longitudinal sectional viewv of a still equipped with a carbon scraping and removing mechanism constructed in accordance with my invention.

Figure 2 is a verticallongitudinal see'-v tional view of said still.

Figure 3 is a transverse sectional `view .of y

the still; and f l 'v Figure 4 is a transverse sectional view similar to Figurev 3, modification of the invention. v

Referring to the drawings which i-llus-v4 trate the preferred form 'of my invention,

A designates a still having a discharge openg ing l formed in its bottom adjacent one end of the still throu h which carbon is discharged from the stil by one or more'jcarbon scraping devices that travel longitu "1j nallyof the still and scrape oif carbon that still and move said carbon towards the dis` becomes deposited on the bottom of the still.

The carbon scraping devices just referred to may either consist of one or more gangs of weighted knives or scraping devices B, as shown in Figures 1, 2 and 3, or one or more chains B, as shown in Figure 4. Said f scraping devices are moved longitudinallyof the still by a mechanism operated from the sprocket wheels 2. and a pair of idlers 3 ar-y ranged adjacent tlie opposite end of the still over which the chains D travel.- VEach scraping device, oi' rather, each gang of scraping devices, is supported by a transversely-disposed member E hereinafter referred to as the scraping device carrier that is connected with the chains D in such a way that it -will move longitudinally of the still towards the right, 'looking at Figure 2, thereby causing the scraping devices B or B to dislodge the carbon on the bottom of the charge opening 1 in the bottom of the still and will then travel upwardly over the sprockets 2 and move longitudinally of the v still in the opposite direction when the chains D are in operation.

The drive shaft C is supported at one end by a bearing 4 arranged on the inside ,of the still and the opposite end'of said shaft projects outwardly `through a stuffing box or packed bearingin the side wall of the still,

as shown in Figures 1 and 3. The vidlers 3 at the opposite end of the still are connected to a horizontally-disposed shaft 6, but instead of mounting the shaft 6 in the side walls of the still, as has heretofore been the practice in stills equipped with carbon scraping devices operated by endless chains, I mount the'idler shaft 6 on a supporting structure separate and distinct from the shell of the still A and which is arranged inside of the still in such a manner that it will not be affected by the longitudinal expansion and contraction of the shell of the still. Said supporting structure is also utilized to sustain parts .that maintain the scraping devices in a certain position with relation to the bottom of the still, and in the preferrcdform of my invention, as herein illustrated,'said supporting structure is combined'with endless tracks F that are engaged by rollers or other Vsuitalile guiding devices 7 on the scraping device carriers E, as shown in Figures 3 and 4.V -The supporting structure just referred to can be formed conveniently from commercially rolled bars or structural shapes s uch as angle bars, I-beams, channels or the llke connected together in Such .a way as' to produce a skeleton-like frame that is arranged longitudinally of the still A intermediate the top and bottom of the still, as shown in Figure 2. In the accompanying drawings I have designated said supporting structure or frame by the reference character G, it being understood that the particular construction or design of said frame is immaterial, so far as my invention is concerned.

4maining in propel' spaced relation with the lshell of the still. At the opposite end of said frame are vertically-disposedplates or webs 9 equipped with bearings 9a through which the idler shaft 6 passes. The frame G is suspended Within the still A in such a manner that it is free to expand and contract longitudinally relatively to 'the steel shell of the still, thereby eliminating the `possibility of the. scraping devices or Athe operating mechanism of the vscraping devices being aifected or rendered inoperative byunequal expansion and contraction lietween the steel shell of the still and the parts of the scraping mechanism. One convenient way of sustaining the supporting structure forthe operating mechanism of the scraping devices inside of the still is to provide the still with transversely-disposed stationary supports 1() on which the frame Gr rests freely, said supports 10 consisting of I-beams 'or other commercially rolled shapes arranged 'adjacent the ends of the still, as'shown in Figure 1. When'the still is in operation the shell of the still expands and contracts a greater degree thanthe parts arranged inside of said shell, but this has no injurious effect on the parts constituting the carbon scraping and removing mechanism, d ue 'to the fact that the frame G is practically floatingly mounted inside of the shell of the still. In other words, the frame G may be said to be rockably mounted at one end on the drive shaft C and supported atits opposite end bya stationary part 10 on which it is free to slide back and forth as said frame G expands, the left hand end portion of said frame which carries the idler shaft 6 also being capable of expanding and contracting laterally relatively to the shell of the still without producing any injurious results.

In a still of scribed the scraping devices and the operating mechanism for same constitute a unit separate .and distinct from the shell of the the construction above destill that is capable of expanding and contracting without producing any unequal strains on the parts ofsaid mechanism or on the shell of the still. Moreover, as the scraping device carriers E travel on continu ous tracks F, there is little liability of' the scraping devices failing to operate properly and travel in a definite path first longitudinally over the bottom ofthe still towards the `discharge opening 1 and then longitudinally ot' the still in the opposite direction preparatory to the next scraping operation.

A still of the construction above described is inexpensive to build and is easy to maintain in operative condition, due, of course to the fact that the carbon scraping apparatus is constructed'in the form of a single unit separate and distinct from the shell ot' the still that is practically floatingly mounted inside of the still.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1.` A still provided with an elongated shell, a supporting structure in said shell arranged with one of its end portions in substantially fixed relation with the shell and its opposite end ortion free to expand and contract longitudinally relatively to the shell, a rotatable device carried by the shell and arranged adjacent the fixed end of said supporting structure, a rotatable device mounted on said supporting structure adjacent the free end of same, an endless iiexible element that travels yover said rotatable devices, and a scraping device actuated by said iiexible element for removing sediment from the bottom of the shell.

2. A still, comprising a shell provided adjacent one end with an outlet through which sediment can be removed, a scraping device arranged inside of said shell for removing sediment from the bottom of same and discharging the sediment through said outlet, an endless Eflexible element in said shell for actuating said Vscraping device, a supporting structure in said shell arranged longitudinally of same Withone of its end portions in substantially fixed relation with the shell and its opposite end ortion free to move longitudinally and a o laterally with relation to the'shell, and rotatable elements arranged adjacent the opposite ends of said supporting structure around vvhich said flexible element travels.

3. A still, comprising a shell provided adjacent one end with an outlet through which sediment can be removed, a scraping device arranged inside of said shell for reand discharging the sediment through said outlet, an' endless flexible element in said shell for actuating said scraping device, a'

supporting structure around which said moving sediment from the bottom of same arranged adjacent`the opposite ends of saidV flexible element travels, and an` endless track cn said supporting structure that determines the path of travel of said scraping device.

4. In a still, a drive shaft arranged transversely at one end of the still and operable from the exterior of the still, a'sprocket- 'wheel on said shaft, an idler sprocket Wheel arranged adjacent the opposite end of -the still, a shaft on which said idler is mounted, a chain that travels around said sprockets, a'scraping device actuated by said chain, and a supporting structure floatingly mounted in said still that carries said idler shaft' and provided with an endless track on which said scraping device travels.

5. A still, comprising a shell provided adjacent one end with an outlet through which sediment can be removed from the still, a scraping device arranged inside of the still and adapted to be moved longitudinally of Same for removing sediment from the bottom of the still and discharging it through said outlet, a carrier for said scraping device arranged transversely of the still, endless chains for actuating said carrier, an idler shaft provided with sprockets around ,which said chains travel, a supporting frame vfor said idler shaft arranged inside'of the still shell and capable of movin independently of the still shell longitudinally and laterally, and continuous tracks on said frame 'on which the scraping device carrier travels.

JAMES M. WADsWoRTH. 

